My Clingy CEO Husband

###Chapter 65: The Perfect Takedown

Lydia Thorne quickly composed herself, put on a confident and poised smile, and, holding a glass of champagne, walked over with a graceful stride.

"Pardon the interruption," she said, her gaze landing on Ethan Hawthorne. "I couldn’t help but overhear you two discussing the shifts in the global economic landscape. I studied this field in-depth during my time at Harvard Business School."

She paused briefly, her tone laced with a sense of superiority that seemed to come from nowhere. "Oh, and allow me to introduce myself. I’m Lydia Thorne, the General Manager of the Project Department at Sterling Group. I just transferred back from our Veridia Headquarters last week."

’Sterling Group? General Manager of the Project Department?’

Ethan Hawthorne paused, a flicker of coldness passing through the depths of his dark eyes.

’Has The Sterlings run out of competent people? To think they’d send a decorative pillow like her to be my wife’s superior.’

He had only known her by name, not by face, but now he could put the two together. Seeing the undisguised arrogance on Lydia Thorne’s face and thinking about how she had surely given his wife no small amount of trouble, a protective anger began to quietly simmer within him.

He swirled the wine in his glass. When he looked up again, his gaze was sharp. "Well, since President Thorne has studied at Harvard and just returned from a mature capital market,"

His tone was even, yet every word was a polished gem. "you must have a unique perspective on how to overcome the middle-income trap—one that transcends the local point of view, I presume?"

He leaned forward slightly, exuding an invisible pressure.

The confident smile on Lydia Thorne’s face froze instantly. At Harvard, she had mostly studied theoretical frameworks and Western case studies; she completely lacked any solid research on such a sharp, real-world issue specific to the nation’s circumstances. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

A fine sheen of sweat visibly beaded on her temples. In her panic, she glanced over and saw Maxine Rhodes nearby, and a malicious idea to divert the disaster immediately took root.

"Mr. Hawthorne, your question is indeed far-sighted and highly relevant to our current reality."

Forcing herself to appear calm, she deliberately raised her voice, drawing everyone’s attention toward Maxine Rhodes. "However, our company’s very own Director Rhodes has always had a unique perspective on domestic economic issues. Director Rhodes, why don’t you share your analysis with Mr. Hawthorne and everyone else?"

"Oh, and remember to use English," she added. "Otherwise, Alex won’t be able to understand."

She was certain that there was no way Maxine Rhodes could handle such a sharp interrogation from Ethan Hawthorne in fluent English,

Hearing Maxine Rhodes’s name, a faint, cold sneer flickered in Ethan Hawthorne’s eyes. ’Daring to throw the question to *my* wife?’

’Very well. He was curious to see just how this woman intended to humiliate herself.’

Nearby, Rose Joyce, who hadn’t dared to show her face until now, almost burst out laughing. She quickly hid her rising smirk behind her wine glass, watching the scene with schadenfreude, hoping Maxine Rhodes would make a huge fool of herself in public.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Sterling, who had been chatting with some guests, heard the commotion and frowned deeply. He felt Lydia Thorne’s move was far from clever; if Maxine Rhodes couldn’t answer, the entire Sterling Group would lose face. He subconsciously moved to intervene.

As all eyes fell on her, Maxine Rhodes, who had been suddenly called out, calmly set down her wine glass. She walked over slowly, not a trace of panic on her face, and spoke with composure, "Vice President Thorne, you flatter me. But since Mr. Hawthorne has asked, I will offer a few humble thoughts."

Then, in clear and fluent English, Maxine Rhodes began her answer. "To understand China’s advantages in the restructuring of the industrial chain, one must first grasp that the essence of the middle-income trap is a failure to upgrade industries. We possess a complete industrial system, an ultra-large-scale market, and a first-mover advantage established in the digital economy..."

She not only pinpointed the crux of the issue but also cited specific data, analyzing China’s breakthroughs in high-end manufacturing, new energy, and other fields. Her language was concise yet hit the nail on the head.

Alex nodded repeatedly, clearly impressed with her insights. He then praised her in fluent Chinese, "Very insightful! This young lady’s analysis grasps the essence of the problem. It’s far more pragmatic than that of many armchair academics!"

Several business leaders nearby also cast appreciative glances her way. Some had already begun to whisper among themselves, expressing their agreement with Maxine Rhodes’s analysis.

Lydia Thorne stood frozen, the color draining from her face. ’How could Maxine Rhodes possibly answer a question that even I couldn’t?’

She had intended to watch Maxine Rhodes make a fool of herself, but instead, she had personally built a magnificent stage for her to shine on. This was more humiliating than any direct insult could ever be.

The most bewildered of all was Benjamin Sterling. His English was limited, and he only caught a few scattered words. To him, the complex sentences that followed were nothing but gibberish, like a magical incantation.

But seeing the approving expressions on the faces of the influential figures around him and hearing the enthusiastic applause, he could tell they were very satisfied.

’Damn it, when did she learn so much behind my back?!’

Amidst the subtle atmosphere, Ethan Hawthorne’s gaze swept past Lydia Thorne, whose face was ashen, and landed back on Maxine Rhodes. The ice in his eyes melted away, leaving only undisguised admiration and pride.

A slight smile touched his lips. "It seems Vice President Thorne is quite skilled at discovering talent."

He paused, then added meaningfully, "It’s just a pity that while your eye for talent is sharp, your own abilities don’t seem to measure up."

This remark completely shredded Lydia Thorne’s last shred of pretense. Not only was she exposed as incompetent, but she was also made into a laughingstock—a jealous superior who suppressed her own subordinates.

Lydia Thorne stood frozen, the color drained from her face. The surrounding gazes of doubt, pity, and ridicule felt like needles pricking her skin.

Unable to endure it for another second, she used her last ounce of strength to maintain a somewhat dignified pace as she hurried through the crowd and disappeared through a side door of the banquet hall, like a defeated peacock.

Unfortunately, no one paid any mind to her departure, as the auctioneer had already struck the gavel, announcing the start of the auction.

The first item up for auction was an oil painting by a contemporary artist.

Benjamin Sterling’s eyes lit up. He had recently been actively courting this artist, planning to secure the domestic distribution rights for their work.

Winning this painting was a crucial step in demonstrating his sincerity and capabilities.

"Five hundred thousand," Benjamin Sterling bid, raising his paddle with an air of certainty.

Just as the auctioneer was about to bring the gavel down, a calm voice called out, "One million."

Benjamin Sterling’s heart tightened. He whipped his head around to see Ethan Hawthorne casually toying with the bidding paddle in his hand.

Ethan Hawthorne looked at Benjamin Sterling’s determined expression and recalled how Erza Sinclair had casually mentioned that very morning that Benjamin Sterling was actively pursuing the up-and-coming artist.

’No wonder he wanted this painting.’

A smirk played on Ethan Hawthorne’s lips. ’Since President Sterling wants it so badly... as his rival, wouldn’t it be disrespectful not to play along?’

’He’d just have to teach Benjamin Sterling a lesson about the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.’